Why?

Why? is a trio of Cleveland transplants to the fair city of Oakland. The band is led by Yoni Wolf and his brother Josiah and their buddy Doug. Yoni is an art school dropout who has honed his lyrical style on his family synagogue’s 4-track, while convincing his drum playing brother to join his cause out in California.

Doug also went to high school with the Wolfs and later got kicked out of U of Cleveland for carrying a stun gun, where they played in a Steve Miller cover band and took key bumps in Starbucks' bathrooms with the door closed. The following songs come from their third full-length studio album called Alopecia on Anticon/Tomlab records. Yoni blends a unique vintage of lo-fi freak-rap drizzled over an indie shortcake. Sure to please the senses, though not for the kids.

Simeons Dilema - Why? (YSI)

Good Friday - Why? (YSI)

The Hollows - Why? (YSI)

Good Stuff

Noah Baumbach's (much anticipated) Greenberg is out in theatres. Unless you live some place besides New York. Then you're kind of out of luck. Starring the fireman from Orange County, the movie follows a New Yorker who travels out to Los Angeles to house-sit for his brother. Guess who wrote the complete soundtrack? None other than James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem. Check out this single from the forthcoming soundtrack CD (via March 9 press release). It kills.

LCD Soundsystem - Oh You (Christmas Blues)

p.s.

Not to be confused with Hey You, the Pink Floyd song from The Squid and the Whale.

Pictureplane

Pictureplane (aka Travis Egedy) is a 24 yer-old artist based in Denver, Colorado. He made himself known playing regular shows at the warehouse where he lives - a place called Rhinoceropolis (dig its high-tech webpage here). He's pretty intense, but just right for certain occasions...like when you're raving with some speed-freaks and wanna get down. Readers who enjoyed our post on Neon Indian might be especially interested.

Pictureplane - Goth Star

Rainbow Arabia - Negative Slave (Pictureplane remix)

Eternal Summers

Eternal Summers is a dude named Daniel on drums and a chick named Nicole on guitar that call Roanoke, Virginia their home. They have just released their self-titled 8 song EP, which is available the internet machine. This unsigned duo gives a new face to jangly surf pop. Think of it this way; imagine if Best Coast had a real drummer and had a little more jangle to their wangle.

Able To is their popular tune on the interweb and is getting some moderate buzz after SXSW. Kry is great. Their sound on most of their softer fare is akin to Baltimore's blessed Beach House, which isn't a bad thing whatsoever. To be fair I picked up this duo up after Dane Reynolds posted them. So here's to you Dane; not bad.

Kry - Eternal Summers (YSI)

Able To - Eternal Summers (YSI)

Lightswitch - Eternal Summers (YSI)

Frank Black

Honeycomb is the eleventh studio album by Frank Black, which was released in July 2005 on Back Porch Records in Nashville, TN. It's his first original solo work since 1996's The Cult of Ray. If you haven't been keeping up with Frank Black after the death of the Pixies, well this is what he's been up to. Honeycomb is quite a departure from Black's normal fare with the Pixies and Black Francis but it's definitely a noteworthy look into this artist's ability.

I Burn Today - Frank Black (YSI)

Lone Child - Frank Black (YSI)

Name Dropping...

King Rat

Modest Mouse | MySpace Music Videos

"King Rat"

Directed by Heath Ledger

Animation by Terry Gilliam

Music by Modest Mouse

(new line-up, of course, with Johnny Marr)

That's a lot of stand-up names for a rather disappointing CD. Though Modest Mouse continues to drift towards effervescent bubbliness, this is actually a pretty cool song from their most recent album, No One's First, and You're Next. It was originally an out-take from their previous album. Probably because it didn't fit in with the smooth, alternative vibe they were going for then.

Regardless, Enjoy.

Tony Joe White

If anyone of you are a fan of J.J. Cale then Tony Joe White is going to be in and around your alley. His distinct southern blues tied with Cale-like guitar riffs, punched up with powerful brass make for some magic. Polk Salad Anne is his biggest hit. Its good but its his simplest work. Willie and Laura is down-home swamp blues and Roosevelt and Ira Lee have a great adventure together. Wish I was there.

Polk Salad Anne - Tony Joe White (YSI)

Willie and Laura Mae Jones- Tony Joe White (YSI)

Roosevelt And Ira Lee (Night Of The Mossacin) - Tony Joe White (YSI)